Centrifugal pump.



PATENTED OUT. 4, 1904.

T. REUTBR. GENTRIFUGAL PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

MTN ESS ES UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THEODOR REUTER, OF WINTERTHUR, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OFGEBRUDER SULZER, OF WINTERTHUR, SWITZERLAND.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP.

SPECIFICATION o g p rt ofLe e s a en o. 771,271, dated October 4, 1904.Application filed February 1,1902. Serial No. 92,134.. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODOR REUTER, engineer, a citizen of the SwissRepublic, residing at l VValdhofstrasse, IVinterthur, Switzerland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Pumps; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In using vertical centrifugal pumps for sinking shafts where the pumpgenerally is so situated as not to be accessible it is important toavoid under all circumstances any disorder of the pump and that the pumpafter lifting and redipping the end of the suction-pipe may continue toperform its work without the necessity of employing special devices. Itis difficult to remove the air from the pump or to prevent the air fromentering the pump, and this is particularly the case with centrifugalpumps having a plurality of runners.

My present invention relates to a verticallyarranged centrifugal pump inwhich any air entering the intake-pipe during the continued rotation ofthe runners is removed before it can enter the pump-proper.

My invention consists in providing the intake-chamber of the pump or anadjacent part of the intake-pipe with at least one checkvalve openingoutwardlyand arranging the intake-chamber above the runners and thedelivery-chamber below them.

In the accompanying drawing is shown as an example the multiplecentrifugal pump in vertical section.

In the drawing reference-sign f designates the runners, which arearranged within the pumpcasing at below the annular intakechamber 6 andits pipe-union c, said runners being located above the delivery-chamber(Z and its pipeunion 6, the intake-chamber 6 being provided with one ormore checkvalves 9, opening outwardly. The liquid to be pumped entersthe chamber 6 at the point indicated by 0 and is forwarded by thesuccessive runners f and the guiding-channels into the delivery-chambercl and through the union of the pipe 0 into the delivery-main.

If the level of the water to be pumped sinks 5 to such a degree that theend of the suctionpipe is no longer submerged in the liquid, the pumpcontinues to forward the liquid somewhat fartherthat is to say, the headof water in the intake-pipe is sucked upwardly a certain distance,thereby of course permitting the entry of air from below theintake-pipe. Thereupon the head of water contained in the upper part ofthe intake-pipe will break off and fall into the lower part of theintake-pipe, where it is held by a check-valve arranged in a well-knownmanner in the end of the suction-pipe, the air contained in the lowerpart of the intake-pipe escaping into the upper part of said pipe.Experiments have shown 5 that during the last-mentioned operation of thedevice the rotating runners cannot hold the entire column of watercontained in the delivery-main, but that a part of this water flowsbackwardly, which is due to the fact 7 that the runners as long as theymove the head of water in the delivery-main produce a higher pressurethan if the head of water stands still. The flowing back of a part ofthis water is possible. notwithstanding the continued rotation of therunners, because the water can pass backwardly through the smalldistances left between the runners and the fixed guiding andintermediate pieces of the pump, so that the water does not have to passthrough the interior of the runners themselves. The water returning fromthe delivery-main follows the intake-pipe more and more, therebygradually compressing the air inclosed in the upper part of theintake-pipe, 5 the compression of such air finally attaining such adegree as to lift the check-valve g, through which the air escapes. Ifthe entire air escapes through this valve, said valve is again sucked onits seat, the seating thereof 9 being noticeable by the noise it makesin seating. The head of water from the end of the suction-pipe to therunners is again reconstructed-that is, the suction-pipe is again filledwith waterand the pump continues to work regularly if in the meantimethe end of the suction-pipe is again immersed in the water. In otherwords, the head of water in the delivery-main is in rest during theoperation above described, and therefore the normal operation of therunners cannot be restored again before the, suction-pipe is againimmersed or dipped into the water. Without the arrangement of theintake-chamber above the runners and of the valve g as above explainedthe air will be forced into the pump and into the delivery-main.

If the pump is employed for forwarding a liquid which contains anyconsiderable amount of air or if during the working of the pump air issucked in, together with the liquid, in small quantities, such air willcollect in the upper part of the intake-chamber. In order to prevent theair in such case from entering the runners, I may arrange above theintake-chamber b a second chamber lb, connected in any suitablemanneras, for instance, by means of the pipe or union -Wil3l1 anexhaust-pipe of an air-pump, an ejector, or the like, thereby during theWorking of the pump maintaining a vacuum in chamber it, which vacuummust be somewhat greater than the vacuum in the intake-chamber b. By themeans above described any air collecting in chamber I) will be exhaustedbefore it can enter the runners. Of course a small quantity of waterwill be drawn off through the check-valve 9 along with the air; but thisis unessential and does not interfere with the increased advantagessecured by my invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declarethat what 1 claim is 1. In acentrifugal pump, a casing having anintake-chamber and a delivery-chamber, runners arranged within saidcasing between said chambers, and an outlet-valve communicating with theintake'chamber and operating to permit, the escape of collected oraccumulated air therefrom, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In acentrifugal pump, a casing having an inlet and an outlet chamberand runners interposed between said chambers, in combination with anauxiliary chamber communicating with said intake-chamber, and valves forcontrolling said communication, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a vertical centrifugal pump, a casing, an inlet and an outletchamber, runners arranged within said casing, said inlet-chamber beinglocated above said runners, and said outlet-chamber arranged below saidrunners, and a valve controlled passage communicating with saidinlet-chamber to permit any air collected in said chamber to bewithdrawn therefrom, as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

THEODOR REUTER.

Witnesses:

Gr. BOSSHARD, F. BARLER.

